AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wilder
I watch her walk up the dark stone pathway to her house, my stomach in knots. I don't know what to do. Walking in on Cash and Ingrid sucking face was brutal. I'm not sure what I expected, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. Heavy, heart-crushing bricks. I want her. I've always wanted her. And she was mine for a little while. Pushing her away feels like punishment.
I miss you. I miss you so much I can barely breathe. Do you miss me the same way?
I guess I thought we could figure things out together.
We all have baggage. I'm not afraid of yours.
I still want you.
I'm not like all the other people in your life. There aren't any conditions attached to my feelings for you. I'm not expecting anything in return. You don't have to prove to me that you're worthy of me. You don't have to give up all the things that make you happy for me.
No one's ever said those things to me before. No one's ever told me they've loved me as many times as Ingrid has. Not even my mom. Truth is, no one's ever loved me the way Ingrid loves me.
I know I should leave her alone. Especially after the image of Cash sliding his hand up her thigh has burned itself into my retinas. But I don't want to.
I can keep pushing her away, and eventually, she's going to stop coming back. I'm not sure that's what I want. I know what I don't want, though. I don't want to watch her walk away from me anymore wondering if she might come back.
It's toxic, this mentality.
My fingers grip the truck door handle and I make a run for it. She's stepping on the front porch when I reach her, and I grab her shoulder, spinning her around in surprise.
Her forehead furrows as I take a deep breath. "I love you, too."
Ingrid's brown eyes grow impossibly large as she stares up at me. "What?"
"I love you," I say, watching as her face softens.
"Really?"
"Really," I frown. "I should have said it sooner. I'm sorry I didn't. I... I thought I'd lose my best friend if I let myself love you."
"You haven't lost him yet," she smiles as she wraps her arms around my neck.
"Cash isn't my best friend," I reply as I run my fingers through her hair. "You are."
She melts against me like snow on a warm winter day. "You don't mean that."
I do, actually. Instead of arguing with her, I bend down and kiss her. She moans against my mouth as my hands find her backside and I pull her closer. She smells like honey and cinnamon.
My lips move against hers as my lungs fill with air for the first time in days. I didn't realize how much I needed her before now. She's oxygen. The only thing keeping me alive.
"I missed you," she says when she breaks the kiss and presses her forehead to mine.
"I missed you more," I tell her.
"Come upstairs," she raises a hopeful eyebrow. "I know you have to get back to Cash, but—"
"Cash can wait," I interrupt as she grabs my hand and tugs me onto the porch.
I don't hesitate as she pushes the front door open and waves to her parents. Jason and Jill are parked on the couch, fast food takeout containers and a six-pack of beer spread across the coffee table in front of them.
"Hi Wilder," Jill gives me a small wave. "Glad you used the front door this time."
Ingrid groans dramatically. "Mom, be cool."
"I am cool," Jill takes a sip of the beer bottle in her hand. "I am the coolest."
